NYC, Heroin Hub

A New York Times report published today details New York’s role as a distribution hub for heroin, which has seen a resurgence in popularity in recent years. The office of the city’s special narcotics prosecutor has seized 288 pounds of heroin so far this year, and the NYPD took in 786 pounds in 2013 — the most it has seized in at least five years. Since October, 35 percent of all DEA-seized heroin was taken in New York State.

Most heroin that finds its way to NYC comes from Mexico. Once the drug gets here, it is both sold locally and shipped to other East Coast markets. The Times explains:

Nearly all of the heroin feeding the city passes through the Bronx and Upper Manhattan, where it is divided up into glassine bags in so-called heroin mills, stamped with a brand and bundled for distribution and sale. One recent raid, in March, turned up a piece of paper listing possible brand names, as well as those already used, and stamped bags with an image of Heisenberg, a character from the TV show “Breaking Bad.”

“We’re kind of the head of the Hydra,” special narcotics prosecutor Bridget Brennan told the Times. “This is highly organized, high volume, and it’s being moved much more efficiently and effectively to reach out to a broader user base.”